The War
by Lbeen393
Summary: AUish..What if the war between Voldemort and the Ministry was more than what we thought it to be? What if James and Lily didn't realize they needed each other to get throught it?plse R&R! I'm terrible at summaries, the rating's just to be safe...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone!! I deleted Best Friends until the end because it was a bad story, and it wasn't even L/J!!! Plus the characters were based on real people I know- which isnt a bad thing, but they were solely based on my two best friends! What is that? So I figured you'd rather read something that's Lily and James and all the mauraders (minus Peter of course) instead, so I talked about this idea with a good friend, and asked her advice. Because of Lauren, I decided to write this. JPX3LE gave me some really great advice while im writing this, and she's been reading everything ive written so far. I have four chapters written already, so I'm prepared this time!! And don't worry, I'm still updating so if it never happened, and I'll write a few chapters ahead this time,**

**Disclaimer: Not mine in the least bit. **

Lily Evans sat in the common room, weeping because of the screams she heard outside, because of the laughing and pleasure the Death Eaters got from murdering aurors, people that Lily and her friends knew and cared about. Lily wasn't just crying because she was scared, she wept because of the cruelty that Voldemort and his followers had shown the rest of the magical community since this war had started. She couldn't bear the idea that she would have to raise a child in a world that lived in fear of one man and a handful of his followers that were just as scared of him as everyone else. It wasn't fair that her children would have to go through something this terrible, and at such young ages too.

"Lily? Lily! Whats the matter! Why are you crying!?" James said, silently racing down the set of stairs that led from his dorm. Dispite the loud exploison and scream that could be heard from just outside of Hogwarts, James was still oblivious to why Lily was upset. _It's cute that he cars though. _Lily thought, as he sat down next to her and akwardly put an arm around her.

"Because, cause its not fair that we have to go through this- those people out there- are dying for us. Because Voldermort wants the muggleborns – like – l –like me, dead." Lily barely whispered.

"Lily, you know that this will all be over soon." James said, hugging her as she wrapped her thing arms around his waist.

"No, I don't know that, James, Voldemort is getting more followers every day."

"So? After we graduate our side will have plenty more 'followers' too."

"But it's only November! Graduation is in May! Don't you think that's a little late? They will have won the war by then!"

"No they won't! I'm sure there are enough Aurors to hold them off until then!"

"James, you and I both know that isnt ture. I heard McGonagall and Dumbledore talking today – they have been asked by the Ministry to send all the 7th year boys as backup if the ministry sees need for it."

"Lily, if we do get shipped off for the ministry, you know nothing'll happen-"

"No, James, that's exaclty what I'm worried about! I'm afraid that I'll-"

"What? Lily?" Lily had started crying so hard that she couldn't finish her sentence.

"…..That I'll never see you again." She replied so softly that James could hardly hear her.

"Then I guess we'll have to make the best of what we have now," James said, leaning down to kiss Lily.

But James never got to kiss Lily. The bigest bomb so far was set off, and the noise it made cause both of them to startle. James stood up suddenly after.

"That sounded like it struck the castle, I'll go-"

"Potter, Evans! Head down to the Great Hall immediatley." McGonagall walked into the common room, startling both Lily and James again.

"Yes ma'am." Lily said, standing up and walking out of the portrait hole with James close behind her.

When Lily and James got to the Great Hall, they found the rest of the school already there, with only a few Gryffindors still missing.

When everyone was present, Dumbledor got up to speak.

"Unfortunatley, not too long ago, Death Eaters were able to penetrate Hogwarts in their attack against the school, and are now in the castle." At this, gasps were heard around the hall. Apparently some of the strudents hadn't caught on by now, but Dumbledore continued.

"I shall ask the prefects to gather up your houses, and for the 7th year prefects along with the Heads to speak with me for directions." Lily and James, along with Remus and lice for Gryffindor walked up to where Dumbledore was standing.

"James, Remus, Frank, Cedric, Sean, Lucius, Chris, and Brett you are going to assist the Professors in the battle. Ladies, you will stay here. Lily, I am leaving you in charge. There is no garuntee that any of us will surive after tonight, and if the Death Eaters are to get past us, Lily you and the other prefects shall protect the younger students. There is a back exit that can be sued in an emergency, but I hope that you won't even have to look at it." Dumbledore looked at Lily with the usual shine in his eyes absent, and a look of concern and worry replacing it. Lily was truly scared at that moment, and she didn't feel like a 17 year old anymore. Instead, she felt as if she were five again, and she could run to her mother and father and they could make it all better. But they couldn't'. Not anymore, now she would have to suck it up. She would have to be strong for the younger students, and herself.

"James!" she called, almost not thinking as Dumbledore an the other 7th year prefects were leaving to go do battle with the Death Eaters that were now in the castle. Dumbledroe and the others walked out of the Greats Hall doors, but James turned and looked at Lily when she called his name.

When she looked at him, her heart broke. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved James now, because she couldn't imagine her life without him. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw him, and she never stopped thinking about him. She saw the sadness, and worry in his eyes and her heart tore in half.

"James," she repeated, weakly, walking towards him. "James, I love you" she said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He put his hand on his face where her lips had touched, and then replied,

"Lily, I have to go," He read her mind, and crushed both their hopes that he would be able to stay with her. "I-I have to help protect the school, to protect you….and the others." James didn't care about anyone else besides Lily thought, she was the only reason in the Great Hall that was forcing him to go, but she didn't even want him to. She wanted him to stay with her; it was the only way she would make sure he would survive throught the night. But James knew that the only way he would make sure that Lily would survive, was to protect her himself, and not allow any Death Eater to reach her. He couldn't possibly say anything to her now that would comfort her, that would make everything better. Anything that he could think of to say now, would make it worse. That's why he left. He didn't tell her that he shared her feelings, that he loved her back, he just turned his back to her, and ignored her when she repeatedly called his name. As James walked out of the Great Hall, Lily thought that he figuredly had walked out of her life forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I realize that not too many people are reading this story, so I guess I can't really wait for reviews, even though I still appreciate them very muchly so! And my favorite kind are the critical ones, although if you like my story(stories), you can tell me . **

**P.S. The first chapter is slightly different than the one I originally wrote out, so I'll be changing it soon, with the one I have in school…which is WAY better than what is on fanfiction now….**

**ENJOY!!**

**The War- Chapter Two**

James's steps quickened, as he turned the corner of the Charm's corridor. He could see the battle now; all of the teachers were there, fighting for their lives, and for their school, their home. James joined the fight just after Dumbledore and the other boys. As soon as he stepped 'into' the battle, a Death Eater came straight to him. He (the Death Eater) had his wand up and started to say something, but James was too quick for him; he immobilized the Death Eater in mid-sentence.

As Lily watched James's retreating back, she knew he didn't want her, and her worst nightmare had come true. She felt like she put her heart out to James- felt vulnerable- and he didn't feel the same. He had just turned around and walked away. Not even a goodbye, he just compleltey walked out of the Great all, almost like walking out of her life. Lily didn't quite realize it, but he kneew gave way beneath her, and she fell to the ground. Luckily, Sirisu was nearby and had seen the whole thing. But what he couldn't comprehend was why James had just left her to deal with possibly not seeing the man she loved ever again. Sirius was there as a best friend, to help Lily off the ground, but he couldn't think of any encouraging words. The outcome of this situation wasn't good. But Sirius knew James loved Lily, and it was obvious she loved him back. After what happened that night however, Sirius was unsure of what his best mate was feeling; or even if he felt anything anymore.

James felt, oddd, when he paused for a moment to look around at the surrounding batel. After he had immpbilized hat first Death Eater, no others had come for him, so he was lost of what to do next. As he looked aroumd, she saw Dumbledore easily bansih one of Voldermort's followers, probably to Azkaban, and turn to help Professor McGonagall with the two Death Eaters she was struggling with. He witnessed his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher get killed, and Lucius Malfoy assist a Death Eater in killing the Astronomy Professor. Hatred filled up inside of him. Thos people weren't only teachers, but friends, hsubands, brothers, fathers and good men to look up to. Why would they want to kill such innocent people? Why would they want to kill at all?

Lily could feel the tears start down her face. She knew her makeup was running, but she couldn't care less at the moment, she was too preoccupied to notice. Why didn't James love her back? Why would he just walk away like that? Did he know how much he had hurt her by doing that? Did he realize he broke her heart? Did he even have a heart?

James didn't wait long to jump back into battle. This time, he was fighthing with the piece of scum he had seen kill Professor Mott- his DADA teacher.

"Do you really think you can beat me, Potter?" James was shocked that the Death Eater spoke, but he was even more surprised that he knew his name. "You looked scared, what? Are you frightened that I know your name? Aw, how cute Potter, now you're angry. But you know what? I know more about you than you think." James's anger got the best of him, and he carelessly attempted to blast the taunting Death Eater to smitherens. But that was what the cloaked figure was trying to get James to do, and he saw it coming. In the few seconds after James shot the curse at him, he dodged it and ran past James, trying to get to the Great Hall where he knew the rest of the students would be.

Lily knew she had to get hold of herslef. She didn't really want anyone to see her cry, anyway.

A fellow prefect and rommate of Lily handed her a tissue. Lily smiled gratefully.

"Thanks Rebecca," She said, following the brown hairded-blue eyed beauty towards where the first years were sitting, and making a lot of noise.

"All right, calm down!" Rebecca said loud enough of them to hear her. Lily continued,

"We need you to be quiet, incase we need to give you important instructions,"

James raced down the rest of the Charm's corridor after the Death Eater. He rounded the dorner at a sprint, just seonds afte the masked man. The hallway that led to the Great Hall didn't seem long enough. James almost cauth up to him, but the Death Eater made it into the Great Hall before James could stop him. He heard screams emmiting from students' mouths, and mide it into the Hall just in time to see Lily blast the Death Eater with the Locomotormortus spell. It hit the Death Eater square in the chest, and affected him immediatley. James smiled at Lily, who stared blankly at him. James was confused- usually, Lily would've smiled back, and maybe would've even blushed. James figured that because of te situation, maybe she was acting differently.

James didn't have much time tot thinl, because a few moments later, more Death Eaters streamed into the Great Hall. He saw the look of panic in Lily's eyes, and all he wanted to do, was take her in his arms, and tell her everything was going to be okay. But he couldn't do that, instead he had to focus on protecting her and the other students in the Great Hall.

Lily saw the Death Eaters streaming into the Great Hall, and she knew she had to get the younger kids out. If she didn't, it would be their deaths.

"James, distract them!" She shouted to James, who seemse to be in a daze. When she shouted her direstions at him, he jumped into acting though, and rounded off the four or five Death Eaters that had made their way into the Great Hall. Sirius and Peter immediatley jumped right in with him, and the three of them held to Death Eaters at bay for a while.

"Rebecca, open the door on the other side of the hall, please," Lily gave Rebecca those directions, and turned to the other prefects and worried younger students.

"Prefects, I want you to work together and go your houses onto the grounds safely. 7th years, keep your wands out and be prepared to use them Hurry, now!" Lily watched as all the prefects were doing exactly what they were told. Slythering and Ravenclaw had fotten out safetly already, and Hufflepuf was nearly out. All that was left was Gryffindor. Lily vowed to herself then that she would not leave the Great Hall until everyone else was out, even James, Sirius and Peter.

As she thought about the three maraudes, she turned around to see how they were holding off the Death Eaters. She was horrified to see that the three boys weren't going to be able to hold them back for much longer, and three more cloaked figures entered the Great Hall as she watched. Lily didn't know what to do!

When Lily turned back around to see how their progress of getting the students out of the Great Hall was going, she was shocked to see her hosue has only started to escape the confines of the Great Hall. She though they'd at least be halfway out!

"Frank! Help!" She screamed across the hall to Frank Longbottom. Sirius, James and Peter needed help, but Lily was worried that by the time Frank got out of the crowd of Gryffindors and across the Hall, that it would be too late- and the Death Eaters would have gotten past, or even killed the three marauders. So Lily did the only thing she could think of. She ran to help James, Sirus and Peter, and immediatley stunned two Death Eaters right in their tracks.

"Lily!" Sirius yelled at her, shocked that she had even thought of helping them battle the Death Eaters, much les actually do it!

"What? I'm not allowed to help you defend our school?" Lily retorted, offended that she was thought incapable, as opposed to a guy her age. She continued to keep fighting, however, and had success fully stopping 5 Death Eaters from getting past her.

"N-No, it's just that-you're at gurl!" Sirus blurted out, totally not helping in the battling with the Death Eaters. One of them took advantageof thi, and shot an unforgivable curse towards him, but Liyl saw it coming and jumped to sheild him from it.

Lily felt a great deal of pressure when the Cruciatus Curse hit her square in the chest, and she fell. The ground she hit was hard, and it hurt a lot, but what came next she wasn't ever going to be ready for.

Lily couldn't move, but yet she lost control of her body, and she felt herself thrashing about. The pain was too much, she screamed and screamded until her voice was sore. It felt as if the white-hot pain that surrounded her would never stop. She could hear, as if they were in another room, urgent voices. She heard the muffled cackling of the Death Eaters that tired to hit Sirius with the curse that was now affecting her so much.

The unbearable pain began to intensify and that's when everything stopped. The voices quieted, her arms and legs stopped flailing, and the cackling stopped; even the pain dulled though it was still there. And a moment after that, everything went totally black.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'd like to thank anyone that has reviewed my story so far!! It's greatly appreciated.  **

Lily woke up to a blinding light, and an all-white, sterile room. Her head felt like it was splitting into two when she opened her eyes. A feeling of panic and dread rushed over her when she didn't quite realize where she was. These feelings increased when she realized that there wasn't anyone concious near her. There were unconscious, well, dead, Lily didn't know. They were all around her, on the floor, on bed and even propped upagain the back wall of the room!

Lily started to look around – trying to find a familiar face-and hoping that the familiar face would be breathing!! She stood up on shaky legs, and she used the wall behind her for support. Lily braced herslef before pushing off the wall, and taking a few steps when James walked in through the door on the same wall Lily was leaning against. James startled her, so instead of pushing off the wall, and taking a few sturdy steps before her legs possibly gave way like she was assuming, she pushed off the wall very fast because of it (…of James walking into the room). After Lily pushed her wight off , she felt herself fall forward, and into James's arms.

James opened the door to the storage hold of the dead, hoping to see Lily one last time before they beuried her with everyone else in the mass graves. To is great surpirse however, he saw Lily leaning against the wall of the room, and he saw her begin to fall as if in slow motion, so he caught her before she fell to the ground. To James's relief, the Lily he held in his arms was alive! Lily was breathing, and **smiling** at him! She wasn't dead!

"Thanks" Lily said with a small smile. She wasn't quite expecting James to catch her, and she was surprised that she hadn't felt the impact of the hard flor, but thankful that she hadn't nonetheless. James looked stuned, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"H-ho….w-hy….w-what?!" He exclaimed, seemingly lost for words.

"What?" Lily looked up into his eyes, confused and concerned. "James, what happened? Whay happened to me?" Sh asked as he finally pulled her upright so that they were standing, Lily head titled up and James's tilted down, staring at each other face-to-face.

"Y-you and Sirius were arguing, about you helping us hold back the Death Eaters. On tr-tried to kill Sirius, and- and you sheilded him. H-he put you under the Curciatus Curse and…y-y-you……well you died, or at least we thought you did," James said very solemnly, and the last bit he said in a barely audible whisper.

"Wow. You're better at acting than I though," Lily said bluntly to James, referring to how much he seemed to care that she was supposedly dead.

James looked taken abck at Lily's comment.

"Acting, how was I acting?" He asked in extreme confuzion.

"You know what I mean, stop pretending!" Lily said, her anger, as well as her voice, rising.

"Lily, I have no idea what you're talking about, honest!"

"As if! I put my heart on the line – I conessed my feeling to you, and you just turn and walk away!" Lily shouted at him.

"What was I supposed to do!? Tell you I love you back-"but before he could finish, Lily interupted him,

"Yes! That's exactly what you were supposed to do!"

"Lily, let me finish!" James said plently loudly, but in a tone that told Lily she didn't want to get on his bad side right about now, or anger him worse.

"I couldn't possibly say that back to you, because- because I didn't know if I'd ever see you again. Lily, I wasn't even too confident hat I would live through that night! But I made a mistake, because when I though you- when I though you dead, I realized I should've told you. Lily, I do love you, with all my heart. But I was trying to protect you from heartbreak if I didn't come back! I thought it would be easier for you! I was afraid that if I told you how I felt, that you would be garunteed to be killed – I didn't know who was watching us! Who was acting as a spy! I don't want you to get hurt- and certaintly not killed because of me!" Lily was shocked at James's words. She was overjoyed that he loved her back! Yet, she was annoyed at him for not even saying anything to her.

"But why didn't you tell me that!? You just turned around and left me there!" Lily started crying withough realizing it, and James wiped away a tear with his thumb.

"I thought ath there wasn't anything I could say that would comfort you at that moment. I figured that if I said anything-or even told you that I love you, that it would just make everything worse." James pulled Lily into his arms, and let her lean all her weight on him.

James helped Lily to Dumbledore's offic, but Lily was so weak, she collapsed halfway there. So James carried her bridal-style the rest of the way.

"Mr. Potter and-Ms. Evans!" Dumbledore said, genuiley surprised to see Lily.

"Yes Professor- she's alive!" James exclaimed; he sounded as if he couldn't be happier.

"I'm glad to hear that- but also confused. Madame Pomferey and I must have checked dozens of times to see if you were breathing or not," Dumbledore said, as if asking Lily how she had survived.

"Well Professor, I don't have a clue how I survived that-the pain I felt was too much to bear anymore; it makes no sense that I lived through that."

"Yes, you were under the Curciatus Curse for much longer than anyone has ever survived. According to all the signs, notes, book, records, you should be dead."

"I guess I've been granted a secone change to live," Lily said with a small smile.

"Perhaps you have," Dumbledore agreed, sharing the smile with Lily.

**A/N: well, I hope you liked that chapter!! PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!!!! If anyone has any suggestions, I would really like to hear them. Feel free to critisize my writing if you thought reading this was a waste of time.**

**P.S.: Don't forget, I've changed chapter one; it's pretty much the same, but I think it's written MUCH better.**


End file.
